Gen. Petraeus will deliver a speech at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire next week, a traditional staging post in the state where the first presidential primaries are held every four years. Each of the last eight presidents has spoken at the college on their way to victory.
It will be the latest in a series of speaking engagements where the head of the US Central Command region, which covers the Middle East and Central Asia, has veered well into foreign policy discussion and often faced questions about his political ambition.
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His stock response is the same as any potential aspirant at this early stage - a flat no. But for someone who professes to have no interest in running for president he has a way of talking about it even when he hasn't been asked directly.
In a recent appearance at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia Gen Petraeus turned a question about whether or not he planned to write a book upon retiring into an opportunity to deny he had political ambitions. On other occasions he has laughed off the notion of a White House bid in a slightly disingenuous manner.
Colleagues have begun to semi-seriously joke about the issue. At the annual Washington Alfalfa black tie dinner in late January Robert Gates, the Defence Secretary, was heard to remark that Gen Petraeus couldn't make it because "he had an engagement in Iowa", where the first caucuses are held.

Oh goody. I can hardly wait. Unfortunately, this dangerous war-monger will appeal to the tea-partiers the most--mainline Republican who are disillusioned with Republican "leadership" and want an "outsider". this is how Petraeus will be portrayed. In reality, he is an ultimate insider, and long time government tool. If he is elected, he will massively enlarge the already bloated military, and will expand the nation's involvement in badly executed wars around the world. If the financial situation goes into a deep crisis with him in office (a likely scenario), he will be extremely likely to declare martial law. Every general this country has ever elected has been bad news for the country, and good news for the war profiteers. But, like most generals, at least he won't expand the welfare state. He will be too busy slaughtering poor people in foreign countries to care about the poor people at home.

Not caring about the poor would be the only good thing of a Petraeus administration. If they don't care about you, they don't try to help you. and God knows the poor do not need any "help" from DC.